PO closures - have your say by 1 September

In July, the Post Office Ltd announced dozens of Dorset post offices could be closed as part of cost cutting plans.
The period of consultation on the proposed closures runs until 1 September and residents can have their say by contacting: The National Consultation Team, Post Office Ltd, Freepost Consultation Team or email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk

The post offices which may be affected in the East Dorset District Council area are Holt Lane, Holt, Wimborne; 130 Ringwood Road, Longham, Ferndown; 197 Wimborne Road West, Stapehill, Wimborne and 550 Wimborne Road, Ferndown.

East Dorset District Council has submitted a response letter to Post Office Ltd advising them that it deplores the closures in the district.

The letter, which has been sent as part of the Post Office’s consultation process, also requests that further consideration be given to retaining a second office in the Ferndown area, and believes that office should be Longham.

The main concern the council has to the planned closures is that three out of four of these post offices fall in Ferndown town. It is the council's belief that Ferndown warrants being served by at least two post offices. The town is the largest settlement in East Dorset and its population characteristics include a very high proportion of older people. East Dorset as a whole has the second highest percentage population of retirement age of any district in the country.

In proposing that the offices in Ferndown are closed, the town has been more affected by the proposed closures than any other in Dorset. If these closures were to go ahead, the council believes the town’s main office in Pennys Walk would not be able to accommodate the increased demand created by displaced customers. This increase is estimated at between 1000 and 1500 customers per week, or a percentage increase of between 50 and 60%.
Added to this, Ferndown is also home to the largest industrial estate in Dorset, with over 400 individual businesses based there. Many use the three offices that are identified for closure and the proposed alternative is not an attractive solution to the business user.

Given the obvious need to retain two offices to serve Ferndown the council has recommended that the office at Longham be reprieved from the closure. It is well positioned to serve the south of the town and has a direct access from the towns’ industrial estate. It has good public access, with the benefit of a large car park and, importantly, the sub postmaster positively wishes to retain the office and has realistic plans to grow the business.

Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of East Dorset District Council said: "The Council has looked closely at the Post Office’s plans to ensure that they have taken into account the needs of residents and communities that will be affected.

"The Council strongly disapproves of the decisions made and there is a real concern for the economic and social implications of closing so many of the Offices in Ferndown.

"I urge residents to have their say on this matter and I expect the Post Office to take the Council’s recommendations into account before they make their final decision."

Readers may like to know that other post offices on the hit list include 108-110 Stour Road, Christchurch; 8 Banks Road, Sandbanks, Poole; 1 Bank Chambers, Penn Hill Avenue, Poole; 121 Parkstone Road, Poole;  7 Ashridge Parade, Wimborne Road, Bournemouth; Alldays Store, Charminster Road, Bournemouth